weid14 0 #1 April 3, 2002 I was impressed with the amount of fuel the new Shuttle enginees use... not to mention the horsepower they produce.Inside a main engine, it's hot enough to boil solid iron. Engineers have been testing new ways to keep shuttle engines from flying apart during the 8.5 minute blastoffs for years, and the latest and best engines are now mounted on Atlantis. Inside the engine is a new fuel pump, 100 pounds heavier and far more robust than the old. During launch, these pumps have enough fuel to drain a family-sized swimming pool in 25 seconds. They are the heart of the engine, and the new pumps in these new engines have fewer welds and fewer parts, making them less likely to come apart as they produce the 37 million horsepower the shuttle requires. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kmcguffee 0 #2 April 3, 2002 Yeah especially if they 'produce' fuel. J/K Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #4 April 3, 2002 37 million HP? Hmmm...my '73 VW Bug could take it! Yeah baby, yeah! "Homer Simpson, smiling politely." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TEB6363 0 #5 April 3, 2002 I got it!! Let's strap a JATO bottle into the trunk of my car and see how fast it goes in the Arizona desert.......:::OK, Canopy is Open, No Traffic Around, .. Why are these "Extra" Lines Draping Down??, Damn! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #6 April 3, 2002 The SSME's are pretty amazing machines. Not only do they generate an incredible amount of power, they have the highest specific impulse of any LH/LOX engine out there - 450 seconds. (that's a measure of how efficient they are, and how much they can lift with a given amount of fuel.) All four turbopumps exhaust into the combustion chamber, which is a feat in and of itself. It's one of the cleanest rocket engines ever designed, as well - the only exhaust is steam.Looking at how the thing is plumbed, and what has to happen in what order, it's amazing they can even get the thing started without it blowing to bits.-bill von Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #7 April 3, 2002 snore....this is SUCH a guy thread! AndreaThe brave may not live forever, but the timid may not live at all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 3,120 #8 April 3, 2002 >snore....this is SUCH a guy thread! Perfume and makeup thread for women, big rocket engine thread for guys - we're equal opportunity here at dropzone.com!-bill von Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
weid14 0 #9 April 3, 2002 you got to play with it some? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ADRNALN 0 #10 April 3, 2002 I expected to see a thread on BOOBIES. Mount these babies on a Cessna, hmmmmmm. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jfields 0 #11 April 3, 2002 QuotePerfume and makeup thread for women, big rocket engine thread for guys - we're equal opportunity here at dropzone.com!Future guy thread topics:Spitting from bridgesExplosivesFartingWD-40 flamethrowersUrinalsNote that some of those topics also work well in combination, for example: Cans of WD-40 used to blow up urinals.Justin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
